Abnormalities and pathologies of the salivary glands are traditionally divided into four categories: (i) inflammations; (ii) infections, and (iii) obstruction to the flow of saliva and (iv) tumors. This obstruction is most commonly from the submandibular parotid and glands, usually due to stone formation and due to the presence of strictures and kinks in the salivary gland ducts.
A polyethylene tube, made of a commercially available intravenous catheter (inner diameter of 1.7 to 2.0 mm, length 45 mm) was implanted by Nahelieli et al. (see Nahlieli et al., J. Oral Maxillofac. Surg., 59:484-490, 2001) inside kinked and strictured salivary gland ducts, for two weeks. The anterior edge of this rigid tube was sutured to the mucosa ands the periosteum near the lingual side of the anterior teeth. This preliminary stent-like conduit is characterized by many drawbacks hereto described. It does not enable the continuous drainage of saliva from the oral cavity towards the salivary gland. The immobilization of this polyethylene pipe into the injured salivary gland duct, by means of suturing it to the tissue, is tedious and inefficient. This device is not adapted to be anchored to said salivary duct, so the stent has an unstable location and thus might occasionally damage the salivary duct. Still, this rigid tube can escape from the salivary duct towards the oral cavity or the salivary gland itself and hence might produce a serious injury of these delicate organs. Lastly, and most importantly, the rigidity of the tube and its inefficient design causes severe pain to the patient.